1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of thermally insulated food containers and, more specifically, to a microwavable single-serving meal container capable of retaining heat at a desirable level for several hours after initial microwaving.
2. Description of the Related Art
The advent of microwave ovens has lead to a near revolution in the field of food preparation. It is now common practice to package a single-serving meal in a microwavable container (non-metallic) so that a hot meal can be prepared in a matter of one to four minutes.
With conventional containers for single-serving meals, it is necessary for the consumer to have convenient access to a microwave oven, since after microwaving, the food typically cools to room temperature a short time after microwaving.
In some situations, a microwave oven is neither conveniently available nor practically useable, such as in the case of young school children. Typically, schools do not provide microwave ovens for use by students, and even if they were available, some school children are too young to operate the microwave ovens.
Generally, child nutrition is a widespread concern. The incidence of childhood obesity and high cholesterol levels is becoming a national problem that is exacerbated by the large number of working parents who do not have time to give proper consideration to family nutrition. While it is desirable to provide single-serving meals for children in school, there exists a problem in that heretofore there has been no practical and feasible way to provide heating of these meals. Thus, a health problem is created whereby parent are encouraged to provide junk food or high-fat/starch foods in the absence of having a practical way to provide nutritious meals.